|
Books challenged in 1997-98
“Drawing Down the Moon” by Margo Adler was removed from Kirby
Junior High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, because of “Satanic”
themes.
“The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende was challenged
by Stonewall Jackson High School in Brentsville for sexual explicitness.
Retained.
“The Life and Times of Renoir” by Janice Anderson was challenged
because of nude paintings. Restricted.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou was removed
from Lakota High School in Union Township, Ohio, for sexual content; removed
from Richfield, Minn., High School for explicit sexual content; challenged
at Folsom Cordova, Calif., school district for explicit sexual passages;
removed from Turrentine, N.C., Middle School for profanity and sexual passages;
challenged by Wayne County, Ga., High School due to sexual explicitness;
removed from Anne Arundel County, Md., for negative portrayal of white people.
“Spells, Chants and Potions” by Sue Avent was challenged by
Muncy, Pa., school library because of “magical thinking.”
“Forever” by Judy Blume was banned from middle school libraries
in Elgin, Ill., School District U46 because of sex scenes.
“The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy was removed from Jackson
County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Curses, Hexes and Spells” by Daniel Cohen was removed from
Kirby Junior High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, because of “Satanic
themes.”
“Mommy Laid an Egg” by Babette Cole, was moved from the children’s
section to the adult section of the Camden County Library because of the
explanation of the birth process from conception to delivery.
“The Goats” by Brock Vole was challenged by the Vigo County,
Ind., School District because the book is “morally offensive and inappropriate
for middle school students.” Retained.
“With Every Drop of Blood” by James Lincoln Collier was challenged
at the Lonnie D. Nelson Elementary School in Columbia, S.C., because passages
considered racist were “inappropriate for fifth grade.”
“Her Monster” by Jeff Collignon was removed from the Lakeview
Middle School library in Greenville, S.C., because of the book’s sexual
content.
“Crazy Lady” by Jane Leslie Conly was challenged by the San
Jose’?lif. United
“Tell Me Everything” by Carolyn Corman was removed from the
Jackson County W.Va. school libraries.
“Stotanl” by Chris Crutcher was removed from the Jackson County,
W.Va., school libraries.
“A Yellow Raft in Blue Water” by Michael Dorris was challenged
by Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas, for “pornographic”
content.
“Daughters of Eve” by Lois Duncan was removed from the Jackson
County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Walking Across Egypt” by Clyde Edgerton was removed from a
Clover Hill High School class in Richmond because it refers to African Americans
as “niggers” and is punctuated with profanity.
“American Indian Myths and Legends” by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso
Ortiz was removed from the Anchorage, Ala., school library shelves because
of some sexually explicit tales.
“Someone to Love Me” by Jeanette Eyerly was removed from the
Jackson County, W.Va., school libraries.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner was challenged at McClintock
High School in Tempe, Ariz., by an African-American teacher. This led to
a class action lawsuit alleging the district had deprived minority students
of educational opportunities. A judge ruled that the “language was
offensive and hurtful to the plaintiff.”
“One Hundred Questions and Answers about AIDS” by Michael Thomas
Ford was removed from the Jackson County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies”
by Nancy Friday was pulled from the Gwinnett County, Ga., public library
shelves after complaints were made on explicit sexual content. Parental
notification policies are now in effect.
“One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez was
challenged by Stonewall Jackson High School in Brentsville because of sexual
explicitness. Retained.
“Witches” by Nancy Garden was removed from the Kirby Junior
High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, because of “Satanic themes.”
“Grendel” by John C. Gardner was challenged by a Douglas, Colo.,
high school because it was deemed as too obscene and violent. Retained.
“The Client” by John Grisham was removed from the Jackson County,
W.Va., school libraries.
“The Firm” by John Grisham was removed from the Jackson County,
W.Va., school libraries.
“The Pelican Brief” by John Grisham was removed from the Jackson
County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson was challenged by
the Snohomish, Wash., School District by parents who complained of its descriptions
of sexual intercourse, masturbation and use of obscene language.
“The Age of Innocence” by David Hamilton was challenged by
anti-abortion activist Randall Terry who urged people to protest against
Barnes & Noble for selling the book. Charges of obscenity were raised
in Alabama and Tennessee.
“Invisible Life” by Lynn E. Harris was challenged at Central
High School in Louisville, Ky., because the book describes homosexual acts
in a positive light.
“Just As I Am” by Lynn E. Harris was challenged at Central
High School in Louisville, Ky., because the book describes homosexual acts
in a positive light.
“This Too Shall Pass” by Lynn E. Harris was challenged by Central
High School in Louisville, Ky., because the book describes homosexual acts
in a positive light.
“It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book About Changing Bodies, Growing Up,
Sex and Sexual Health” by Roble H. Harris was challenged by the Mexico-Audrian
County, Mo., library; challenged at the Fargo, N.D., Public library for
being “too explicit, pornographic and too easily accessible to children.”
Retained in both cases.
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston was challenged
by Stonewall Jackson High School in Brentsville for sexual explicitness.
Retained.
“Adam & Eve & Pinch Me” by Julie Johnson was challenged
by Greenville, S.C., middle school school libraries because of objectionable
language.
“Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes was removed from the
ninth-grade curriculum by the Rabun, Ga., County Board of Education because
it was inappropriate.
“The Sisters Impossible” by David James Landis was challenged
by the J.G. Dyer Elementary School library in Gwinnett, Ga., for objectionable
language. Retained.
“Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee was
challenged by Lakewood, Ohio, High School for the play’s antireligious nature.
Retained.
“The Diviners” by Margaret Lawrence was removed from summer
reading lists for the Clark, N.J., School District because of detailed descriptions
of sexual intercourse.
“One Fat Summer” by Robert M. Lipsyte was challenged at the
Greenville, S.C., middle school libraries because the book includes a passage
on masturbation; removed from the required reading list at the Jonas E.
Salk Middle School in Levittown, N.Y., because it was “sexually explicit
and full of violence.”
“What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-up Guide
for Parents and Sons” by Lynda Madaras was removed from the media center
at the Denn John Junior Middle School in Kissimmee, Fla., because it describes
masturbation. The book is accessible to parents only through the guidance
office.
“What’s Happening to My Body: A Book for Girls: A Growing-up Guide
for Parents and Daughters” by Lynda Madaras was removed from the media
center at the Denn John Junior Middle School in Kissimmee, Fla., because
it describes masturbation. The book is accessible to parents only through
the guidance office.
“Letters from the Inside” by John Marsden was challenged as
required reading for the Youngstown, Ohio, States University English Festival
because it used the “F-word.” Retained.
“Kaffir Boy” by Mark Mathabane was challenged by Lewis S. Mills
High School in Burlington, Conn., because of brutal and graphic language;
challenged by the Lincoln United School District in Stockton, Calif. Retained.
“Hollywood vs. America” by Michael Medved was withdrawn from
Greencastle, Ind., High School because of graphic language in Medved’s work.
“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller was challenged by the
Egyptian High School in Tamms, Ill., because of “profanity.” Retained.
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison was challenged by the Madawaska,
Maine, School Committee because of the language.
“Fallen Angels” by Walter Dean Myers was challenged by the
Lakewood, Ohio, High School because of the novel’s violence and vulgar language.
Retained.
“All But Alice” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was restricted to
students with parental permission at the Monroe Elementary School library
in Thorndike, Maine; removed from the District 196 elementary school libraries
in Rosemont-Apple Valley-Eagan, Minn., because of a brief passage in which
the seventh-grade heroine discusses sexually oriented rock lyrics with her
father and older brother.
“Earthshine” by Theresa Nelson was challenged by the Anchorage,
Ala., school libraries because “it contains profanity and deals with
subjects like homosexuality, abortion and children running away from home.”
Retained.
“The Great Gilly Hopkins” by Katherine Peterson was challenged
due to explicit language by the Lander County, Nev., School District. Retained.
“Harris and Me” by Gary Paulsen, challenged by the Lander County,
Nev., School District due to explicit language. Retained.
“The Broken Bridge” by Phillip Pullman was removed from the
Jackson County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Understanding Sexual Identity: A Book for Gay Teens and Their Friends”
by Janice E. Rench was restricted to students with parental permission at
the Brownsville, Pa., Area High School District Library because of references
to gays and lesbians.
“Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Sallinger was challenged by Glynn
Academy High School in Brunswick, Ga., because of the novel’s profanity
and sexual references. Retained. Removed because of profanity and sexual
situations from the Marysville, Calif., Joint Unified school district.
“Wish You Were Here” by Barbara Shoup was removed from the
Jackson County, W.Va., school libraries.
“The Joy of Gay Sex” by Charles Silverstein and Edmund White
was challenged at the Belmont, Calif., public library because it is “pornographic.”
“Making Life Choices: Health Skills and Concepts” by Frances
Slenklewicz Sizer was amended by the Franklin County, N.C., school board,
which ordered three chapters cut out that dealt with AIDS, HIV and sexually
transmitted diseases; pairing, marriage and parenting and sexual behavior
and contraception.
“Joy in the Morning” by Betty Smith was removed from the Jackson
County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck was banned from the Washington
Junior High School in Peru, Ill., because it was deemed “age inappropriate;”
challenged by the Louisville, Ohio, high school English classes because
of profanity. Retained. Removed, restored and eventually retained at the
Bay County schools in Panama City, Fla.; challenged at Sauk Rapids-Rice
High School in St. Cloud, Minn., for the use of racist language. Retained.
“The Red Pony” by John Steinbeck was challenged in the Attalla,
Ala., school system because the book contains “profanity and violence.”
“Miss America” by Howard Stern was challenged in the Pikes
Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, Colo., because the book was considered
“obscene.”
“Ghost Camp” by R.L. Stine was challenged by the Jackson Elementary
School library in Gwinnett County, Ga., because of graphic content and references
to the occult. Retained.
“Goosebumps” by R.L. Stine was challenged in the Anoka-Hennepin,
Minn., school district because of the frightening content. Retained.
“The Last Day of Summer” by Jock Sturges was challenged by
anti-abortion activist Randall Terry who urged people to protest against
Barnes & Noble for selling the book. Charges of obscenity were raised
in Alabama and Tennessee.
“Radiant Identities” by Jock Sturges was challenged by anti-abortion
activist Randall Terry who urged people to protest against Barnes &
Noble for selling the book. Charges of obscenity were raised in Alabama
and Tennessee.
“Marijuana” by Even and Albert Stwertka was challenged at the
Stanwood Elementary School in Hempfield, Pa., because it was considered
inappropriate.
“Shadow” by Joyce Sweeney was challenged by the Anderson County
Junior/Senior High School library shelves in Garnett, Kan., because of graphic
language. Retained.
“The Friendship” by Mildred D. Taylor was challenged by the
Prince George’s County, Md., School System because a parent complained it
had “no redeeming value.” Retained.
“The Cay” by Theodore Taylor was challenged by the Prince George’s
County, Md., School System because a parent complained it had “no redeeming
value.” Retained.
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain was challenged
at the McClintock High School in Tempe, Ariz.; challenged in the South Euclid-Lyndhurst,
Ohio, City Schools because of the word “nigger”; challenged at
the Columbus, Ill., North High School because the book is “degrading,
insensitive and oppressive”; challenged by McLean High School in Fairfax
for complaints that the book offends Africa Americans. Retained. Removed
from classrooms in the Cherry Hill, N.J., schools after concerns were raised
about its racial epithets and the depiction of its African-American characters.
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain was challenged
in the Columbus, Ind., schools because the book is “degrading, insensitive
and oppressive.”
“Tell Me If the Lovers are Losers” by Cynthia Voigt was removed
from the Jackson County, W.Va., school libraries.
“When She Hollers” by Cynthia Voigt was removed from the Jackson
County, W.Va., school libraries.
“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker was challenged at Northwest
High School in High Point, N.C., because it was “sexually graphic and
violent.” Retained. It was removed from the Jackson County, W.Va.,
school libraries.
“The Temple of My Familiar” by Alice Walker was removed from
the Jackson County, W.Va., school libraries.
“Black Boy” by Richard Wright was challenged in the Jacksonville,
Fla., public schools by a minister who said the book contains “profanity
and may spark hard feelings.”
“Native Son” by Richard Wright was challenged by Northwest
High School in High Point, N.C., because it is “sexually graphic and
violent.”
“Loch” by Paul Zindel was challenged by Lander County, Nev.,
School District due to explicit language. Retained.
Source: Banned Books: 1998 Resource Book
|
